


The Cursed PRINCEss

by Egungun (orphan_account)



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Angst, Childhood Friends, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:41:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26623819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Egungun
Summary: Atsuko Kagari's parents died in a tragic accident, now she is adopted by a close family friend and became the second son of the Hanbridge family. In his first social debut, he made his first-ever friend, Diana Cavendish. Little did they know, their long time friendship will soon bloom into something else.Akko will try everything in her power to keep her curse undercontrol, she will also have to keep her true identity a secret, no matter how painful and guilty she feels to protect the ones who is dear to her.
Relationships: Andrew Hanbridge & Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari & Amanda O'Neill, Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Comments: 12
Kudos: 72





	1. Childhood

“Are you alright, dear?” 

“Yes, I'm okay, sorry for making you worry, mother.”

“Are you perhaps worried about going to the Hanbridge manor? If you are, then don’t be, there would be other children there too you know and it’s not like this is your first time visiting, maybe you could make some friends there, Diana.”

“I doubt that, all the others are so … so mean. They always make rude comments about magic and witches, and make fun of me when I try to practice.”

“Well, maybe not yet, but I’m sure you’ll find someone. No one walks this Earth alone, Diana, there’s always someone destined to be right beside you, maybe you haven’t met them yet, but that doesn’t mean you won't.” The car stops at the front gate of the Hanbridge family manor, the butler of the house opens the door, the first to get out was Bernadette Cavendish, the current head of the esteemed Cavendish family, later came out was her daughter and the future hair of the house, Diana Cavendish, the little girl was carrying an old, withered book. 

When the Cavendish' came out of the car, they were greeted with the Handbridge estate’s workers and the Hanbridges themselves. “Greeting to the esteemed guests.” The workers greeted in unison and bowed respectively. 

“Greetings Lady Cavendish, I am pleased to see that you have accepted my invitation.” Earl Paul Hanbridge greeted, he then looked behind her.

“My sister and her daughters will be joining us shortly, please excuse our rudeness.” Bernadette then continued. “How could we refuse, when in the invitation it was clearly stated that it was a matter of importance.” 

“It is, you see, there is someone I want to introduce,-” Paul turned around and gave a gentle smile, which surprised everyone, since the man was notorious of having a stoic face, he addressed to the little brunette boy standing behind the Countess Handrige, “come out and introduce yourself to these nice people, Atsuko.” 

The little boy stepped out in the open from behind the Countess and smiled shyly. “It- It’s nice to meet you, my name is Atsuko Kag- Hanbridge.” The little boy, now known as Atsuko had short layered brunette hair, and what stood out most was his big red eyes.

Paul placed a gentle hand on Atsuko’s head, looking at the confused Cavendishes and said. “We the Handridges had adopted Atsuko from a very close family friend, the Kagaris. In a way, one could call this gathering here, a social debut for Atsuko as a new member of the Handridge family.” 

“Now I see why you said it was important.” Bernadette bent down to be at eye level with the little brunette and gave a gentle smile, almost endearing “Hello there little one, may I ask how old you are?”

“I’m currently six, but later this month I’ll be turning seven.” 

“I see.” Bernadette smiled and gently pulled her daughter, Diana, closer to her and said “This is my daughter, Diana, she turned seven this year. I hope you two can become great friends.”

The two children could only nod, Paul cleared his throat and addressed his son, Andrew Handridge, who had a darker shade of brown hair than Atsuko and the same green eyes as his father’s. “Andrew, could you please bring our guest and your brother to the back, where our other guests are?”

“Certainly, father.” Andrew turned to look at the said two and said. “Now, if you two will follow me.” The boy turned around and started walking, Atsuko quickly followed behind him, while Diana turned around to look at her mother, who just smiled kindly.

Once the adults were out of earshot, Atsuko turned around and smiled at Diana, “Diana, right? It’s nice to meet you, I heard your family is a witch family, can you do magic?”

The girl could practically see sparkles in the boy’s eyes, a mild blush crept on her face, but before she could answer, the green-eyed boy rudely interrupted. “I truly don’t get what’s so great about magic or your infatuation with witches, Atsuko. Magic was useful in the past, but as technology further develops there’s no need for it.”

Diana’s eyebrow furrows, she and Andrew never got along, despite knowing each other since birth, they would always have a fight about it, if magic still had any value, they had never considered each other as friends only as acquaintances. She hated the boy, but since their two families are one of the most prestigious families in Britain, they have to be on good terms and exchange pleasantries every so often. The girl opened again to argue but she was interrupted yet again, but this one wasn’t unwelcome, unlike the other one.

“I have two things to say to you, Andy. First of all, I was talking to her, not you, and second of all, how dare you insult magic like that, magic is one of the most coolest and best thing in the whole world, tell me how long does it take for a person to heal in the hospital, and compare it to how long it takes for a healing spell to heal the same injury, and last but not least, everyone has their own opinions on things, and if you don’t have anything positive or helpful thing to say, then don’t say anything.” Atsuko lectured.

No one ever had talked to the young Lord like the red-eyed boy, so it was the first time for the blond to see Andrew so dumbfounded, she struggled to keep her giggles from escaping, it was also her first time being joyous away from her home and mother. 

The little banter between the two boys ended shortly after it began, in the end, it was Atsuko who was victorious, he was successful in defending his beliefs and proving his point. The way his eyes shine with wonder and amazement made Diana happy, there aren’t many who love magic like the boy, so seeing him talk about it so passionately made Diana feel proud to be a witch. Andrew grumbled something under his breath, far too quiet for the other two to hear when they finally made their way to the back of the manor, all the other children that were at the back swarmed around the two boys, while the blonde girl went to find a secluded area away from the commotion.

Just like Andrew, most of the noble children don’t think highly of magic, while some were from which families, they would always tease Diana and look down on her, for some reason she has a hard time casting spells and controlling her magic, so to sum it all up, the girl doesn’t have any friends. And just like now, she would always isolate herself from the crowd and train and/or study magic. 

Diana was currently sitting under a tree and reading her book, hiding from the sun and preferably the other children. She was so engrossed in her book, that she had failed to notice someone was approaching her. 

“Hey there!” The sudden voice made Diana jump in surprise, she quickly spun around to see who it was, and to her sudden delight, it was Atsuko. “Would you mind if I join?” He gave her a charming smile, despite her young age his charm worked, the heat started to rise from her stomach to her face, this feeling that she was feeling because of Atsuko was so alien to her, so she could only do a meek nod, shifting to the side, she made room for him to sit.

Finally able to compose herself, Diana turned to look at the boy who was looking back at her, “Isn’t this supposed to be your party, why aren’t you with your brother and the crowd?” she then asked.

“I don’t really like these fancy-schmancy parties, it feels sorta … strained? No no, um… fake? Ugh… I don’t know, all I know is I don’t like it. And besides- ” Atsuko turned to look away back at the party, “they’re too busy fawning over Andrew to notice I’m gone.” He turned back and gave the same smile to Diana. “So, if you don't mind me asking.” He hesitated. “Do you know or heard of Shiny Chariot?”

Diana immediately perked up at the mere mention of the magic performer, she couldn’t believe it, someone other than her liked Shiny Chariot’s shows, she would always get teased and picked on by her cousins and peers because she’s a fan, so she had to hide that fact about her. “Yes, I know of Shiny Chariot. I saw her live show last year in Tokyo, her shows are even more spectacular live than television.”

“You’re a fan too?” Atsuko got an eager nod, “Wait, you said last year in Tokyo, right? Then that means we went to the same show last year.” He said gleefully, then gasped as he remembered something important. “Since we are both Shiny Chariot fans and went to the same show, do you also, perhaps collect the cards too?”

“Not really, I doubt you could call a single card a collection. Though I would love to collect them.” Diana gave a soft chuckle, talking to someone about the things you like was … nice, it was nothing she had ever experienced this with someone. 

The two children sent hours spent talking to one another, they had so much fun they lost track of time. Diana learned throughout their interaction that Atsuko preferred being called ‘Akko’ instead of his actual name, she also learned that Akko was nothing like the other nobles she had met, the boy was cheerful, kind, considerate, and most of all …  _ warm _ . 

The two children wouldn’t stop talking about their common interests until Bernadette came to pick Diana up. 

The older woman’s heart warmed at the sight before her, her daughter was smiling and actually having fun and she even made a friend. When the little girl somehow manages to notice her mother making her way to her and her new friend, and only friend. 

“It seems like you're quite enjoying your time.” Bernadette gave a fond smile to both children. “But it seems like it’s time for us to depart, it's almost time for supper, Diana.” It was quite clear that the young girl was visibly disappointed, the cute pout on the girl’s face made her mother chuckle, she then turned her attention to the boy, who’s hand was currently being held by her daughter. “If you two want, Lord Handridge and I could set up a playdate just for the two of you.” The woman let out a small giggle at the sight of the two children immediately perking up in excitement.

“Does that mean that Akko can come over to the manor tomorrow?” Diana gingerly asks, she never had a friend over, let alone actually having a friend, so saying that she looked happy was an understatement, she was practically jumping for joy.

“Sure, why not.” Bernadette patted her daughter’s head, the little girl was giggling excitedly. The genuine smile on her daughter’s face warmed her heart, she turned around to look at the cause of her daughter’s happiness. “Well, then Atsuko. We’ll be expecting a visit from you tomorrow. Now then, let us depart, Diana. You’ll spend more time with him on the morrow.”

And with that, the Cavendishes left the Hundridge manor, after that day Diana and Atsuko spent time with each other as much as possible, when there was a social gathering or a party they would always go together, obviously they didn’t care about the event they would attend, the only thing they cared about is to be with each other.

Like an unspoken rule, Atsuko would always go to the Cavendish manor at least twice a week, everyone around them thought it was quite strange for someone to do such a thing, but neither the Cavendish nor the Handridge cared about it, much to Diana’s delight. Unknown to the public and even the children themselves, Bernadette and Paul were the ones who set up their meetings not only for the children but for Bernadette to help Atsuko with his  **_condition_ ** . 

The two children were almost inseparable for five years, that is until Paul told them the big news more specifically, he told Atsuko. 

“So, you’re leaving England? Where are you going, when are you coming back?” One could practically hear the devastation from Diana’s voice, she hates being separated from her one and only friend.

“I'm going back to Japan, but I’m not going to stay there, I’ll be back in time for High School, so we’ll only be apart for four years.” Atsuko tries to calm her friend’s distress. 

“Then you have to swear to me that you’ll be back.” Tears were visible on the little girl’s face, she took a deep breath and continued “and that you’ll call me so we can stay in contact.”

“Sure thing, I swear on my life and my love for magic.” The boy smiles, he then fishes out a small box. “I figured you’d act like this, so I got us matching pendants.” He then opens it to show the girl. Sure enough, there were two silver pendants, both with two different mythical creatures but when the two jewelry pieces are together they make the shape of a whole circle. Atsuko took the one with the unicorn engraving and wore it, then he picked up the other pair which had a nine-tailed fox engraving, and put it on Diana’s hands. “It was custom made just for the two of us, so there wouldn’t be anyone besides us having the same thing. The unicorn is supposed to represent you and the fox represents me, and the best part is, the pendants open and I put in the photo we took on last years’ Christmas Eve.” The boy shyly scratched the back of his head, it was one of his weird yet cute habits he developed over the years. “So do you … perhaps, like it?”

Diana looks down at the pendant on her hand, she gently stroke the fox engraving and opened it, the picture that was inside was one of many happy moments she shared with Atsuko, in this particular picture both children were wearing their winter coats and with big smiles on their faces for making a snowman. Diana smiled at the photo and looked up at her friend “I love it, thanks Akko.” She then leaned in to give a gentle pack on his cheek. 

  
  
  
  
  



	2. Peace

It’s been five years since Atsuko and Diana last met, but through those years they’ve been sending each other letters to stay in contact. Now eagerly waiting to arrive at Luna Nova, Atsuko looked out the car window, impatiently tapping his feet. 

“Could you please stop that?”

“What? Oh… sorry. I can’t help it, you know? It’s just that, it’s been a while since I last saw Diana, I’m so excited.” Atsuko apologized to his brother, chuckling shyly.

“Sorry, can’t relate.” Andrew rolled his eyes. 

“I can’t believe the two of you still can’t get along after so many years.” Atsuko pouted, he then turned around to look at his friend, Frank. They met each other through Andrew, when the two visited Atsuko in Japan, they two bonded immediately, and made a certain green-eyed boy jealous, “Come on Frank, back me up on this. I’m not the only one who’s excited about visiting Luna Nova, right?” 

“Right, it’s not every day that we get to go to a prestigious all-girls school.” The blond boy cheered, “Oh, by the way, when are you officially transferring to Appleton, Akko?”

“My first day is going to be in two days, so, Thursday. Guess what, the best part is, I’ll only have two days of school before the weekends.” Atsuko smugly said, earning some laughter from the other two boys. 

The three boys kept exchanging some light jabs and talks. They could see Luna Nova from the distance, getting closer and closer every second. Smiling like a fool, Atsuko counted down the seconds till he can see his dear friend. 

* * *

Climbing down the stairs of Luna Nova was quite the feat, the moments the little goblin-like fairies opened the door, loud music started to play as all the attention of both young and old witches were on the three boys. Whispers of compliments and fawning teen girls followed the boys, mostly the long brunette haired boy. 

Looking around, Atsuko spotted a very familiar hair color, platinum blond with tea green highlights, the owner of such hair was in the far corner, with a bored expression. “Guess some things never change,” he muttered to no one and smirked, walking past the crowd of young witches to get to the girl in the corner. Carefully making his way behind the platinum-haired girl, he tapped the girl on her shoulder, “Hello there beautiful, what would you say If we quit this joint?”

“Who-” Her eyes widened as her sharp and serious tone changed into one of excitement, “Akko! W-What are you doing here? When did you come back? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s nice to see you too, Diana.” Akko grinned, “Come on, bring it in,” he opened his arms, waiting for a hug, which the other girl quickly conceded, wrapping their arms around each other. “I’ve missed this.” he sighed satisfyingly. 

Their moment was ruined by the same person who always ruined it, Andrew, he cleared his throat and said, “Aren’t you supposed to be our guide, Diana?”

“Dude, are you serious, we were having a moment?” Akko pouted, he released his embrace from Diana and took a step back but still held her hand. 

“As much as it pains me to agree with you, Andrew’s right. We should start with the tour now if we want to catch up.” Diana said the last part to Akko. 

* * *

“It’s really nice of you to give us a tour, Diana. I’m Frank by the way. Akko has been talking nonstop about you, so it’s an honor to finally meet the only girl who managed to steal this boy’s heart. I wish you should have seen how many girls who wanted to court him, but he turned all of them down, which was kinda cold, not gonna lie.” Frank introduced, making Atsuko flush.

“Dude, shut up… ” Akko grumbled, earning a sly smirk from the blond boy.

“Hye, that reminds me,” Frank fishes something from his pocket, he takes some pictures out and hand it to Diana, who’s face turned flush, “Back in Japan, we made Akko do cosplay, this one is him dressed up as a cat maid, the other one is him in a cute schoolgirl uniform, and lastly he wore a yukata. Doesn’t he look cute, this honestly made me question my sexuality? You can keep them if you want.”

“That is true, Akko does look cute in both male and female clothing, around six years ago, he fell in a muddy puddle, so he had to wear one of my dresses.” Diana looked at the embarrassed boy and smiled, “I do believe mother made you wear all kinds of cute frilly dresses, she even made a photo gallery for you in cute clothing.”

“Ugh, I can’t take this anymore!” From embarrassment, Akko ran away, ignoring the shouts from her brother and friends. He didn’t know how long he ran, but the next thing he noticed was that he was in front of a large wooden door. Curiosity took the best of him, as he opened the door and started to wander around until he was faced with what looks like a giant polar bear. _‘Ah, shoot.’_ he thought and ran away like there was no tomorrow. He ran through multiple different hallways, and stairs, trying to get the polar bear off his tail, and luckily he did, he lost the bear somewhere near the giant staircase. Exhausted and out of breath, Akko slumped down on his knees, finally catching his breath, he scanned his surroundings, he was in an open area with a fountain in the middle, there was a large water sphere on top. Cautiously, he got closer to it, out of the blue, blinding white light flashed. Groaning and rubbing his eyes, Akko opened them, he was now in a new place, looking around, he saw a small baby fox in a rusty cage.

“Hey there little guy, what are you doing in there?” Akko kneeled before the small fox. Something about it felt familiar to him, so he tried opening it. 

  
  
_“It won’t work, I’ve tried.”_ The fox said in a child-like voice, but its mouth didn’t move, _“This shall be my eternal prison unless you accept yourself, Atsuko.”_

“W-What are you talking about?” Akko asked wide-eyed, “and how can I understand you? How do you know my name?”

_“Have you truly not figured it out yet? We’ve been together since the very beginning, through happiness and hardship, I’ve always been with you.”_ The tiny fox whimpers, _“And here I thought that all that training in the motherland would improve our bond.”_

“Wait... you’re the fox spirit?!” Akko shrieked, “But you’re so… so tiny, and cute.”

_“Yes, unfortunately.”_ the fox sighed, _“My old body was destroyed, while my soul was sealed. When your parents tried to bind me with you, I was reborn, with a new body in exchange for their life, that’s why I’m small. Since you’re not an adult, then neither am I. We are connected with both mind and body. You probably hate me now, huh, knowing that your parents died because of me.”_

“No, I’m not, I’m not going to blame you for what they did, that’s just dumb.” Akko simply answered, shocking the small fox, “They died because they wanted to control you, control us. And seeing you being guilty means that you’re a good person-er… fox, no being.” he gently smiled, the cage that imprisoned the fox started to disappear, “I’m sorry for not trying to free you sooner, I was just scared, in all the archives, they described you as a heartless monster, but now, I know better.” Now that the cage was completely gone, he picked up the fox, “No more cages, no more lying, what do you say, partner?”

The fox stared at the boy's eyes, looking for any deception, but found nothing of the courts, only eager determination and truth, _“I would like that, and please, give me a name, I don’t want to be called ‘fox’ all the time, you know?”_

“Okay, let me think,” Akko hummed in thought, “how about… Nozumi, it means hope.”

_“Nozumi, huh, I think I like that, thanks again, Akko.”_ Nozumi snuggled closer to the brunette. Embracing and laughing with each other, they finally bonded. The room around them started to gently glow and disintegrate, but they didn’t care, they don’t know how but they knew they would be alright.

* * *

“Miss Hanbridge, Miss Hanbrideg!” A young professor shakes the unconscious brunette. 

Groaning, Akko woke up, his drowsy eyes met the concerned red ones. “Who are you?” he asks.

“Pardon my manners, Miss Hanbridge, my name is Ursula Chalistis, but my students call Professor Ursula.” Ursula introduced, “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you so wet?”

“The fou-” “My, my, what a conundrum,” The Headmistress interrupted Akko, “How knew the second son of the Hanbridge was actually a girl? Though one could have guessed as much, you do seem to have more feminine.”

“W-what are you talking about, I’m a bo-” “Please stop, Miss Hanbridge, your clothes are soaking and we can see your chest compression wrap.” Headmistress Holbrooke gently smiled, “Would you like to attend Luna Nova, Miss Hanbrideg? Judging by the ears and tails, you’re obviously someone with magical prowess.”

Sighing in defeat, Akko looked down, “I wish I could, I would love nothing more than to learn magic, but I can’t. Appleton already accepted my application, and I need to inherit my family name as a man, or else, I’ll lose everything.”

“That does seem complicated, but not impossible. You’re already sixteen, correct? Then you’re already old enough to get your family name. And as for, Appleton, since it’s an all-boys school, you could transfer here after you get your name back, easy.” The headmistress cheerfully explained, “I believe the whole process could be done in a week of time, so if you two excuse me, I’ll be working on some transfer document, see you later, Miss Kagari.” then she left.

“Now come here Miss Hanbridge, let me dry you off,” Ursula offered, “Miss Hanbrudge?” Akko was now crying, from both happiness and fear, Ursula took pity on the boy, no, girl, as she took her into a gentle embrace, making small circles on the girl’s back for comfort. Ursula doesn’t know why, but she feels strangely attracted to this crying girl like she’s someone important that she lost. “You should probably put your ears and tail away before someone sees you.” She suggests the girl complies and does so, still holding the young professor. _‘I don’t know why, but I want her to be happy…’_ Ursula thinks to herself, as she starts to hum a gentle melody. 


End file.
